Sporting KC’s Espinoza to join Honduras for World Cup qualifiers

Sporting Kansas City will be without midfielder Roger Espinoza for a little while.

Espinoza has been named to the Honduras Men’s National Team for FIFA World Cup qualifiers on March 24 against the United States and on March 28 against Costa Rica. He will join Honduras’ 26-player squad following Sporting Kansas City’s home match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

Honduras occupies fourth place in the Hexagonal, a six-team double round-robin that serves as CONCACAF’s final qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The top three finishers will automatically advance to the World Cup, while the fourth-place team will face an Asian opponent in a two-legged playoff in November.

Espinoza has amassed 50 international appearances for Honduras since debuting in 2009, representing his country at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Espinoza ranks 10th in Sporting KC history with 186 appearances across all competitions, recording four goals and 22 assists in two separate stints with the club. He led the team with 34 starts in 2016.